Moving to the DR and need a job? Warning! Long Post!!!!

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
If you already made up your mind about moving to the DR for whatever reasons, please read this info below...

The DR is saturated with idle professionals looking for work or a better job than the one they hold.

These same professionals that includes a vast pool of foreigners like you, are already saturated on the Dominican lifestyle, that must be said is unlike any other country you ever set foot on.

They hold academic titles of all kinds, PhD?s, Doctorates, etc...
Some, if not a good 3/4, can speak, read and write more than 2 to 3 non-native tongues. That's not including the prevalent Dominican Spanish!

Living costs in the DR are not comparable to the budgeting style you're accustomed to. The where you live, eat, go to school at, shop, commute, entertain and even socialize with can in turn affect your bottom line in ways you can't begin to make sense of.

Housing:
The DR just like any other country on the face of Earth shares the same attributes that rule the social-economic divide which is ever present in all nations. But the DR owns the distinction that you could buy the most expensive home in the country and it won't let off the common ills that affect rich and poor without distinction.

Water, electricity, public services, shortages, crime and too many to list here, do affect you no matter where you live even if it's to a lesser degree only. Home values are mostly based on speculation and trends supported by the local realtors or homeowner's greed.

You can buy a home for millions over the price than a next door equal or even lesser comparison home sold the next day or the day before.
That's the housing market of the DR, pure and simply, an art of selling to the deepest pockets they can find.

Why would a bank offer mortgages in the DR if their money is not guaranteed by the house itself like in any other financial system? Then that's where you start to understand the real estate market of the DR.
Banks do lend money for big items like homes, but do so with a requirement that the buyer doles a huge and always offsetting down payment amount of the value that house is really worth if a new construction was started on the same lot from scratch.
Banks and financial institutions in the DR never lose on those contracts, never.

The car market is not any different to this same "art", where vehicles are valued at a price that far exceeds their going depreciation even when the odometer is far beyond the conservative.

Buying a car in the DR is like getting married, it's a commitment you should be really aware of and with the right partner. People don't change cars in the DR like most developed nation's citizens change their leases year after year.

Don't be fooled into thinking that the owner of that 1967 Chevy Nova was on a Classic car spin, but in fact that was the car he uses for his daily commute to work and pretty much everything else. That includes towing stalled vehicles of family and friends, mudanza y acarreo, ambulance for the extended family and friends, mobile entertainment unit and so many others too many to list here. A true workhorse if you could call it anything.

Cars last longer in the DR due to the ingenious ways that mechanics can retrofit any part from a Hummer to a mini cooper without a hitch...

But again, some shouldn't be allowed in the road but a junkyard.

So you want to move to the DR?
Imagine, not! Better yet do as follows:
Go to your electrical service panel and switch all the breakers off, shut off your water main. Put you perishable foods in the refrigerator in the garbage can (they don't smell now but trust me they will in a short time).
Keep your gas open, but don't use more than one or two crates of your range and forget the oven as it didn't exist at all. The microwave? What microwave? Stuff it into a closet.
Go out to shop for your grocery list, but this time you must walk some more, as you want to get the lowest price for that previous insignificant lime you bought without a care before for a few cents more.

Keep in mind as you shop, that all this food will have to be consumed today when it comes to perishable foods that need refrigeration. Buy the portions that would suffice for you and those in your household today, as all must eat the same meal to save money. Make sure to pick some vegetables and stuff of that sort common to the DR's diet, like Platanos, Yuca, etc...

Try on all your shoes and those that you can't stand after 10 minutes of walking back and forwards as you do your house chores (cleaning the bathroom, sweeping and mopping the floors, windows, bedrooms, etc...) all those you couldn't stand after the first 5 minutes pack them into a box and store them with a label that reads "Donate".

Turn on the TV and look for a Spanish speaking channel (they're everywhere nowadays) and turn the volume up more than the usual. Now go to your bedroom and blast the radio all the way up, and as you sit in your living room make a note of the interference the radio blasting away makes your TV watching a "challenge". That is the most common thing that would happen when your next door neigh' opts to listen to the latest Bachata hit mid afternoon while you sit at home watching the news or El Show del Medio Dia clone.

Now let's cook the day's meal! Pick all those Platanos and peel away the skin as best you can, making a 1/4 of an inch deep cut along the lines is the best so far, then putting the knife tip in between and under one to make a lip you could easily hold with your finger as you pull away the pre-cut section works fine. Peel as well the Yuca and any other weird stuff you got at the market.

Fill a pot with water add some salt to taste and dump the vegetables (That you pre-cut in halves for the Platanos and 4 to 6 inches long for the Yuca) into the boiling water, cover and let it boil for some 20 minutes or until you see all the Platanos floating and the Yuca is soft to probe with a table fork.

Put some oil on a fraying pan on the front burner (as you used the second and last remaining one with a knob from the four you took 2 knobs off) and add some of that vegetable or corn based oil, cut some onions in rings and drop them into the oil, let them become tender and caramelized a bit.

Add some more oil and let it heat up a tad more and drop some "Dominican Queso blanco de Freir" (if you can't find it, just buy a local version of a white hard cheese and covered with flour before you fry it) and dip into the oil until it becomes medium brown, like if it was sprinkled with Coffee grinds.

Fry some eggs, any style you want using the same oil that remains from the onions and cheese frying pan. Place the food on the middle of the table for all to serve from and enjoy a pure Dominican meal ready in minutes! OH! Don't forget some Tang!

That concludes the first stage, wait for my second post later...
 
N

naturelover

Guest
heres a shorter post............ what exactly are you trying to tell us ? that we should all go home?
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
Okay! Now that you mastered the primary food source of Dominicans, let’s move to some more complex issues:

When you come back from work, as you normally do, before you make your entry to your driveway or in the case of a walker, be aware of all the surrounding there, is there someone who shouldn't be? A car you don't recognize? Somebody parked on your curb looking suspicious? Treat all with care but before you make the first move to come into the property, have your home keys in your hands and the things you'll bringing into the house at arms length.

Welcome home! You're safe and sound at home!
Make sure to always lock you front door after you, make a habit of it.

Your door bell rings! You approach your front door; look out using the side windows or spy hole at the door. You see someone you don't know!
First thing is to never open you door, ever. Ask the person what you could be of help to. Ask their motive for the visit and name. If the answers are somewhat vague, consider never opening the door to this person a must!

You don't have to open your door ajar to have a polite chat with a visitor to your home you're not familiar with, and neither is offensive to do so.

If you sense danger, just have you phone in your hands and place and call to someone you know and trust and make sure the person on the other side of that door knows somebody is on their quick way there. That should take care of any "dangerous" individual at your door.

After the "visitor" is gone, you settle into your sofa to rest a little before moving on to take a quick shower. Baths are not a common thing in the DR as they represent more waste of water that you get billed hefty for.

Bow as you step into the shower and turn on your shower nothing happens! AHHH! Now you remember you turned off your main water valve in the morning!!! You have to proceed and carry some buckets of the water you saved before you turned the water off ( I didn't posted in the first part to make it a shocking event at this point, but you had to use the saved water to cook the Platanos and Yuca, didn't you?) into the shower.

As you work the soap into a lathe (something you didn't notice as much before) you make sure to cover and scrub all parts of your body as effectively and quick as possible to avoid having to repeat the rinsing and soaping time after time. Now you rinse yourself using a smaller container to dump water in pause to get rid of the lathe...
There you go! Crispy clean!

You notice you have be more efficient when rinsing the shower to clean up after your quick shower with the left water on the buckets.

You dress into casual clothes and set off to your living room, there you again turn on the TV to the Spanish chatter box torture and lay back on your comfy sofa.
After you can't take the non-stop chatting you turn off the tube, go to your gas service valve and shut it off. Go to the electrical service panel and turn on all the breakers.

The TV was working while the main circuits were off before because? OHHHHHHH!!!! I make it a point to have you think after you do the things you do for shock! You have to purchase one of those small inverters they sell in the car shops and use your car battery (properly set up inside your home to save on buying a separate battery) to power your TV and cable box (some 1200 watts would do), the investment is good since you'll find lots of uses for it in the DR!!

Now you want to make super but... There's no GAS!
Gas is not serviced in the DR via pipes but mostly by LP gas in 50 and 100 pounds cylinders that sit in your backyard.
Sometimes, you'll run out of gas depending on how many times you check your tank's reserves or you make some out of schedule extra caterings that month 9parties, etc...) So now you have no Gas and the driver that supplies you can't make it until tomorrow at best!

But you have electricity! So you do what a lot of Dominicans do: Get creative with the toaster...

You take care of all your house things, iron some outfits and stuff but you have to cut short on that and run as quick as you can to the backyard and pick the clothes that were hanging to dry on the lines before the quick rainfall makes then fit for a second wash.

Home washer is a must a drier is a luxury that hits hard on the pockets…

You made it in the nick of time! You take your time and fold your fresh smelling clothes and put them away just as soon, but the phone rings!
It’s Maria, your new Dominican friend, whom insists that you should come with her to the Saloon so that you can get some highlights that you sure need for your hair…

You bite the tongue and go, for the guys it’s much simpler. Tony calls and tells you to get ready that he’s picking you up in five to go to some new spot in the city.
Hell! You don’t need five you’re ready to go just about!

Ohhhh!!! As soon as you guys get there the prices come to hunt you: YOU FOO! What was you thinking?! Free for all??

You make it back home, with the highlights that are looking much better after you reason the price was worth the trouble and end product. And Tony sure was right about the spot and the company…

But again not what you had planned for to spend, wait? What plans? You don’t plan anything in the Dominican Republic! It just happens!

Great! No gas to cook. But you have electricity!!!

Well that was one heck of a day to write home about…
You get ready and go to bed for tomorrow is one more of those days…
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
Today you wake up energized! This is the day you will hit the concrete and hunt that job you need to make it here...

You armed yourself with your Curriculum Vitae and some other important documents (you just pick any old newspaper and rip some articles off in their place) like your residency and Dominican Cedula.
You walk and walk... Now let's think, you're a foreigner here, don't speak much the local Dominicano. So your aim should rest just about some international company or employer that needs my skills for his company's gain.

What would a foreigner in your country look for with your resume under his arms? What should him/she expect to get paid compared to the workforce market?
Would they require that you get a local certification to match your resume to this new country rules? How long would that take? How much will it cost? Who'll pay for it?

As you ponder these issues, start to think that maybe, just maybe you need to broaden and be ready to incur into a field not you coup of tea in your related experience.
How much is going to cost me to find housing fit for my lowest appreciated living standards? Is the hood safe? How much are utilities around for a household like mine? Are specific health needs that I must have to stay in this new country available and the cost?

Can I relocate with the stuff I already own with my present budget? What is more feasible to do, sell at home and buy again here or ship the stuff in one load?

How much will the local foods and availability of my home diet become impacted by my moving here? My family?

How can I get health coverage that should cover the basics and some none basics here? Is there a cheaper but reliable alternative?

If I'm ever confronted with a legal issue in this new country, how will I locate and trust a local counsel representative here? How much can that cost me?

What are the laws that affect the transit, rental, civil, political, foreigners in this country and how can I get this info?

Is there a pro to becoming a citizen or long term resident of this country, instead of just hop into a plane and arrive looking to live here?

Do I have a contingency plan to fall back just in case my relocation becomes a disaster and I can't support myself in a reasonable timetable before my funds run out?

Is there a proven alternative way to relocate here in stages rather than just move for good? Can I do that with my wages at home and job consideration? Can I support two homes at the same time?

I'm good with new idioms, but I sure need to learn more before I make it here for good. How can I do that at home and still be practical enough to use it when I come here? How much would that eat into my budget?

Can I take advantage of my ability to travel in and out of the country to pursue a business relation with either a local or at home based company or make it a business of my own. I mean so many Dominicans do the same as they buy and import merchandise into and out of the DR. Why can't I with the kind of facilities I have?

Those are questions you have to make before you package the first box to ship to the DR! And the answers only you can give them...
 

Ricardo900

Silver
Jul 12, 2004
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lengthy and informative, but will fall on deaf ears.

Many people who post questions about moving to the DR, already have their minds made up and even though you can tell a child not to touch the iron because it's Hot, they still find the need to touch it anyway and see for themselves.
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
Day three:

You are like the hit parade guy; you just hit every open request for employees that you could find in one day!

Now you're back at home...

Or are you? There seems to be a home based Disco that just sprung in your street and you can even Karaoke the words since the speakers do seem to be sitting inside your home judging by their volume...

Okay, you think... They're having a birthday party or something like that, sure to be finished later on tonight...

Tough luck! It's 3:00 am and somebody forgot to turn off the music or did they?
You get dressed and make your way, thinking on how to ask as politely as possible if the music could be turned down just a notch or two (or 10). As you make your way there, you spot kids running around the yard and "Gasp" people actually just arriving to the party!!! Not good, you think...
You make it to the host, after having said hi and saluted people like if you were Nolan Ryan that came back to the living. You get close to the host's ears and shout that if it was possible to have him turn the music volume just a bit. He looks at you and tells you how sorry he's to know he was being a pest to you.

The host then introduces you to the person the party was thrown for in the first place and after some family introductions and the explaining that they were being a bit of a pest regarding the music, you put your hands out and deny it was such a big deal, in fact you tell them the party is great and had you not been so tired it would had been a pleasure to assist as well.

That my friend, is where you get to know your neigh's and wake up at 1:00 pm the nest afternoon...

Yep! It was a party all right!

The next time, you know better and just place a pillow over your ears and rough it out!

It's remarkable that people are so friendly yet stubborn when it comes to shared air space and noise in the DR unlike most other civilizations...

But here you are!

You rent a place following the sound advice of long term foreigners, unlike Dominicans that fail to grasp your "handyman" attitude ends after you replace the burnout light bulb, and are the big supporters always that you buy your own home and don't become a tenant.

Have your cooking skills refined to the Dominican gastronomy in no time, but sure as hell still consume 60% of meals from the food service industry there. Some days are just too hot to stand close to a matchstick let alone a 6,000 Btu burner.

The job hunt is everything but a hunt, as the prey is nowhere in sight. Looks like they got a GPS on your butt and make their exit even before you turn the corner...

So you make do with a side job that was offered to you by some local or foreigner.
You think to yourself that soon you'll find that job that matches your skills for sure and will make a decent salary too.

After the budget becomes bigger and the funds dry up, you start making adjustments that you never thought possible before. Like cutting on the outings, local restaurants, nice clothes, etc... The more you last the more you start to look like your neigh's down the street, just that your face is somewhat lighter and such...

You start to visit the mercados that you bypassed for the modern always A/C supermarkets at the big plazas...
You learn that pesos are the coin of the time and unless you get a steady paycheck from over seas, you have to learn to fight for each one of them as you buy.

Prices are not the same for all, if you look foreign your price doubles, triples or goes to the moon and back. So you show them you know how much those Aguacates are worth and they won't get a peso extra. After a while they'll treat you as a Dominican "maseta".

Gone are the days of visiting Cafes and the common tourist traps. You have come a long way.

Yet, this was not the idea you had when you came here...
Your plan was a good paying job, free time to trek around and see all of the DR's beauty. The sandy beaches, etc...
All that now has been replaced for the daily grind. You now have a Planta sitting in an iron cage in the back yard, some batteries and "un Inversor". You have a "Neverita de Agua" with the 5gal bottles. Your V8 car sits mostly in the garage as you tend to make errands using your motorcycle and walk more often than not.
Your fridge is desolated save for some ice cubes and leftovers. Your refrigerator looks like heaven to a vegetarian...

You closet fits into two to three pieces of luggage!!!!!

Your shoes are numbered by no more than the fingers in both hands.

You have friends that actually visit when you're sick, not only if you're on your way out in the ICU.

You mastered every single vulgarity (no proud but ready) and slang of the Dominicano talk.

You start to complaint that the gov is doing little about everything and follow world news about countries you never knew existed before, as you're bound to chat about then in small talk here and there.

When you travel over seas, you calculate everything into pesos before you buy it and if it's too much you appreciate then more when you come back to the DR...

Then you sit back in your mecedora and while having coffee:

You ponder that you're just one more Dominican that has a lousy job with lousy pay. You live way below the standards you wanted to live like. Posses what you need and not what you want. Hate the politicians but can't help belong to one of the parties or support it. Love to see that flag everywhere you go. Don't miss home but the things you could afford back then.

And at the end, you come to a website just like this one and try to explain a country you know but can't describe to wondering souls about. And can't help it but think they are stupid in a way for thinking they'll come and it would be like a Cinderella story book's ending. Yet, you wouldn’t go back yourself to what you left if given the chance again...
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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dr1.com
PICHARDO, I'm glad I don't live in the same DR as you, it sounds like a horrible place :)

What I will say, 75% of people that I see relocating here are completely unaware of what life is really like here, despite having access to DR1. What's worse, is some choose to ignore what they are being told by some of the long-timers, as they feel they know better, despite having zero experience of living here.

Plus seem to feel that living in Sosua is the same as living in Santo Domingo.
Do they get a shock, they are worlds apart!
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
The naked truth:

Jobs in the DR are everywhere if you are willing to work like Haitians do for little pay and huge amounts of work.

Good Jobs in the DR are already taken and there's a five blocks line of people waiting for the guy to croak.

You're a registered Nurse or related field with ample experience and tremendous expertise: A Nurse in the DR is a Nurse no matter experience or degree. You'll get paid no better than they are and shouldn't expect it to be an above average wage to the meager salaries of the working class in the DR.

You're well verse in foreign Idioms and such, hold various degrees on related fields and have the experience to back it up:

So are thousands of untold others that already work for foreign languages institutes in the DR and will be better served by any other better paying job than the one there's much supply for.

You're an entrepreneur that can't believe nobody has tapped into the DR's virgin potential of business:

The DR is like the Bermuda Triangle, everyone knows is there but few can see the dangers below the sky blue seas... People name success stories like the Ochoa and Hache, etc... But they all fail to remark those success stories took generations and still are no match for any multinational push into their home turf. Just wait for the Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart or Kmart to move in and see how glassy those pillars really are...

If you learn something from the dynamics of the market in the DR is that for every single success story, at least 1,000 went belly up.

You're an educator with years of work under your wings:
Use some of that education and experience and look for the never ending struggles of the teachers, both public and private of the DR and make your own conclusions.

You're an excellent engineer with much to provide:
Join the "engineers" working as maintenance crews for corporations, assistant to an architect firm (doing much of the number crunching) with a measly pay or build the next wonder of engineering and become the next Thomas Edison of the DR.

I don't want you to think there aren't any jobs in the DR you can get, yes there're many you can get. But the pay is far from close to what you'll need to make it here.

Just think for a moment that if the DR did in fact offered a good job platform for the people, why on Earth are people risking their lives in boats and getting one way tourist visas (as they never return home) to reach the US?

Those people are not solely truants, youngsters, peons but also include Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, etc...

Inform yourself about the tangible opportunities you may have of getting a job in the DR. You must investigate to the last question before you make the final decision to come here for good. Or else you'll one of the many that came and returned home to live much worst than the life they had before the left.

If you're serious about coming to the DR and making it your home, then be serious enough to secure yourself of those opportunities you seek. Not dreams.

And for the last part of my test to see if you can make it in the DR:
Quit your present job the next day, without preparations and test your skills to survive even in a country you know all your life. If you're able to secure a better job and even upgrade your living standards (as you seek a better job than the ones locals get paid for in the DR) then you're ready for anything that comes your way or you seek. If not, go beg your employer to hire you back and keep the move a dream for now.
That's with all honesty and no JOKE intended!
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
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www.ginniebedggood.com
There is a lot of truth in what you say Pichardo. We've experienced both sides - initially living off a Dominican salary and really scraping to make ends meet and now living a luxurious lifestyle by Dominican standards. I would say (touch? ;) ) that there are changes taking place here, which is maybe why Robert feels he lives in a different DR. But.............no way will I ever regret doing it the hard way to start with. Because it taught me so much about life here, about how I coped with it & it connected me to the more humane Lambada, which perhaps was less easy to do in the first world. So, it might be a 'grind' as you say but there are benefits which cannot be assessed purely in terms of monetary reward.
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
PICHARDO, I'm glad I don't live in the same DR as you, it sounds like a horrible place :)

What I will say, 75% of people that I see relocating here are completely unaware of what life is really like here, despite having access to DR1. What's worse, is some choose to ignore what they are being told by some of the long-timers, as they feel they know better, despite having zero experience of living here.

Plus seem to feel that living in Sosua is the same as living in Santo Domingo.
Do they get a shock, they are worlds apart!

No two cities share the same dynamics in the DR, some feel like you stepped into a time tunnel and came out the wrong end!

That's why Dominicans are so critical of one another's city or province of origin. The opposites are remarkable!

I tell it like it's as I'd followed in silence the DR1's forum for years and see the repeat questions and attitudes that just seem to never end.
One good note is that the amount of foreigners have somewhat changed the ground rules in the DR for the better. That's in environmental issues, Law, politics, work, technology and too many others in a major positive way.

Dominicans that returned from abroad wanted to change the dynamics at home with their sheer money but failed miserably, these folks bring new attitudes and provide alternatives that before was alien to the Dominican way of life.
Pampers are the norm and not one, along strollers. Gone are the days of the cotton baby bottoms and hauling of kids in arms... LOL!!

I just see that many newcomers are committing the same sins the Dominicans before them failed because of: They don't heed the advised of the reformers that know that things take time, some more than others to change in the DR.

If anything the first waves of foreigners that today call the DR home for good, should be heard as wise men that provide enlightenment and direction to all those who land fresh from the one-way ships(or so they thought).
 

nathalie1

New member
Dec 4, 2007
17
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WOW i wouldn't say you have put me off but you made me realised that when i do come to DR i would have to think about things as i would with my own country i mean i wouldn't open my front door to a complete stranger water, electricity etc. All these things would effect most countries im not put off by challenges you face them any and everywhere you go now its only naivety that makes you believe that one country is different when it comes to these things than it is to the one your living in
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
There is a lot of truth in what you say Pichardo. We've experienced both sides - initially living off a Dominican salary and really scraping to make ends meet and now living a luxurious lifestyle by Dominican standards. I would say (touch? ;) ) that there are changes taking place here, which is maybe why Robert feels he lives in a different DR. But.............no way will I ever regret doing it the hard way to start with. Because it taught me so much about life here, about how I coped with it & it connected me to the more humane Lambada, which perhaps was less easy to do in the first world. So, it might be a 'grind' as you say but there are benefits which cannot be assessed purely in terms of monetary reward.

I agree, PICHARDO has a lot of truths in his posts, but...

Quotes like the one below and a few others are a mile away from my lifestyle here and a few others that I know that have recently located and working in Santo Domingo.

"Go to your electrical service panel and switch all the breakers off, shut off your water main. Put you perishable foods in the refrigerator in the garbage can (they don't smell now but trust me they will in a short time).
Keep your gas open..."


It's not all crappy services, crime, sankies and low life Dominicans.
Some of us have a very different lifestyle, friends, experience and it's been no different since day one.

I'll be the first to admit it, I wasn't prepared when I landed in the DR. I came here for a 2 week vacation, no DR1 to learn from and enough money to last me 4 weeks, that was 10 years ago :)

The first few years I struggled. I worked for peanuts just to get a foot in the door, sometimes just for a roof over my head. I networked with those people that could help and learn't from the setbacks etc. If you "grind" it out, you can have a great life in the DR, a life that can far outweigh any monetary reward.

The DR experience can be fantastic and life changing or miserable and memorable for the wrong reasons. It all depends on your attitude, how well you prepare yourself and who you socialize with.

Some newbies do really well, especially those that do it right...

I have guys in my office that earn good money, work in a great environment, dictate their own hours, have the freedom to think and know they will be supported by DR1. DR1 is not a typical Dominican office and they don't live a "PICHARDO" thread lifestyle :)
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
5,261
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Ahora entiendo.....

I am beginning to believe what AZB and MANY others have been saying for YEEEEARS (actually, I have known all my life)......

There is/are INDEED 2 Dominican Republic!.

I wonder who is that wise guy who keeps on saying that the DR is a different monster and NOT everybody can "hack it" there, EVEN if they think they have ALLLLLL the answers?. ...Ummmmm
 
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BushBaby

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
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I wonder who is that wise guy who keeps on saying that the DR is a different monster and NOT everybody can "hack it" there, EVEN if they think they have ALLLLLL the answers?. ...Ummmmm
He is not such a WISE guy Miguel, just someone who is copying what was said here in 1998/99/2000 ........ well before July 2003!! Check the CC early posts, the Tom D'Alfonso ones, Toilet Water & Tourist watcher ................ ALL had been saying the same thing.

I understand what Pichardo is saying & the 'switch off the electricity, cut the water supply .... for a week' suggestion was something I put in a tourist magazine back in 1996 or 97. Things have improved greatly for some of us (the more fortunate ones who have succeeded here) but some remain for the LESS fortunate. It is good for a person thinking of relocating to the DR to experience the emotions of 'shortages' just so they can have some empathy with those less fortunate people around them!

Don't get too persuasive on the newcomers who are most likely going to fail Pichardo, without them coming here & losing so much of their money, many of us would have to pay higher prices in the shops, higher prices for mechanics, electricians, builders & craftsmen who LIVE by giving terrible service & scamming the newcomers!! :cheeky: :pirate: :cheeky: ;) Then of course there is the Government plus all the hangers on!!!!! ~ Grahame
 

Kat1144

New member
Nov 23, 2007
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Pichardo.. Thank you for your post. It makes so much sense.. it is an eye opener for many people who would consider moving to DR..pros & cons to weigh out.
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
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www.ginniebedggood.com
I agree, PICHARDO has a lot of truths in his posts, but...

Quotes like the one below and a few others are a mile away from my lifestyle here and a few others that I know that have recently located and working in Santo Domingo.

"Go to your electrical service panel and switch all the breakers off, shut off your water main. Put you perishable foods in the refrigerator in the garbage can (they don't smell now but trust me they will in a short time).
Keep your gas open..."


It's not all crappy services, crime, sankies and low life Dominicans.
Some of us have a very different lifestyle, friends, experience and it's been no different since day one.

I'll be the first to admit it, I wasn't prepared when I landed in the DR. I came here for a 2 week vacation, no DR1 to learn from and enough money to last me 4 weeks, that was 10 years ago :)

The first few years I struggled. I worked for peanuts just to get a foot in the door, sometimes just for a roof over my head. I networked with those people that could help and learn't from the setbacks etc. If you "grind" it out, you can have a great life in the DR, a life that can far outweigh any monetary reward.

The DR experience can be fantastic and life changing or miserable and memorable for the wrong reasons. It all depends on your attitude, how well you prepare yourself and who you socialize with.

Some newbies do really well, especially those that do it right...

I have guys in my office that earn good money, work in a great environment, dictate their own hours, have the freedom to think and know they will be supported by DR1. DR1 is not a typical Dominican office and they don't live a "PICHARDO" thread lifestyle :)

I think in many ways we're saying the same thing, Robert. You, too, struggled initially. Where I think we differ is our interpretation of what Pichardo was saying. I thought the bit you quoted was Pichardo's suggestion to those in the first world to shut off their appliances etc & thereby understand what life is like for the average Dominican. Not the privileged or the very poor but those in the middle. And I think he was suggesting people should do that in their first world countries as being the nearest they will get to an appreciation of every day events here. Events many Dominicans take for granted. As such, it isn't a bad suggestion.

And yes, in one sense, there is more than one DR. More than 2 actually. There's the privileged Dominican DR, the very poor barrios, the middle of the road Dominican lifestyle, the privileged gringo enclaves, the tourist towns - that's what, 5 - all different, all distinct, all having few crossover points between one & another. Probably there are others I haven't even thought of.
 

DrChrisHE

On Probation!
Jul 23, 2006
599
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Oye Pichardo...are you having a bad week? Your notes sound like my DR JOURNAL. LMOA ROFLOL...so much so that my kids came running in to find out what was SO hilarious. Then they read it and said "That's NOT FUNNY!...That's how we LIVE!" Yes, folks, anyone who thinks Picho is exaggerating can now hear it from my 9, 12 and 17 yr olds too.

THE ONE ESSENTIAL THING YOU MUST HAVE AT ALL TIMES IN THE DR IS A SENSE OF HUMOR. The absolute ability to laugh at yourself and the stupidity of situations will keep you alive when nothing else does!
 

DrChrisHE

On Probation!
Jul 23, 2006
599
0
0
You don't need all THAT...

Not to be contrary, but in reality you don't NEED all this...you just need access to DR1!!...

...hit the concrete and hunt that job you need to make it here...What would a foreigner in your country look for with your resume under his arms? What should him/she expect to get paid compared to the workforce market? Would they require that you get a local certification to match your resume to this new country rules? How long would that take? How much will it cost? Who'll pay for it?...How much will the local foods and availability of my home diet become impacted by my moving here? My family?...What are the laws that affect the transit, rental, civil, political, foreigners in this country and how can I get this info?

Those are questions you have to make before you package the first box to ship to the DR! And the answers only you can give them...

IMNSHO...
BUT as for this last part ---LOL---just DUMP your box in the trash or give to to some homeless person BECAUSE YOU'RE EITHER NEVER GONNA GET THAT BOX OR YOU'LL HAVE TO BRIBE THE IMPUESTO PEOPLE FOR MORE THAN YOUR CR*P IS WORTH!